Bycicletour along the Donauinsel

The longest fitness studio in Vienna

Now in September, when the weather is playing along with the temperature, you have the opportunity to visit what is doubtless the longest fitness studio in Vienna, the Donauinsel. This man-made island, roughly 22 km in length, was constructed between 1972 and 1988 and offers cyclists, runners, in-line skaters and others plenty of variety, recreation and the opportunity to engage in athletic activity or simply discover this magnificent promenade on foot.

Beachfeeling

Should you decide to bike along the Donauinsel, the City of Vienna offers the opportunity to take a tour with the City Bike, which has 120 stations in Vienna. The first hour is free; for the second hour you pay one euro, two euros for the third hour, and four euros for each additional hour. Alternatively, the ladies and gentlemen at the receptions of the Schick Hotels Vienna would be happy to organize for you a bicycle for the day from the Pedal Power company. The cost is € 32, and the bicycle will be brought to the hotel and picked up for you.

From the Schick Hotels, you have the possibility of riding over the Prater and Lassallestrasse to the Reichsbrücke and starting off on your first discovery tour. Alternatively, you can also take the underground line U1 to the Donauinsel station.

Using this starting point, your trip begins heading east up to its first destination. Along the way, you’ll regularly discover groups meeting for picnics, grilling, sunbathing or simply relaxing. Since there are playgrounds and climbing places for little ones as well as big ones, there’s always an opportunity for you be athletically active or simply to relax. Along this route, there are several bridges that were built for pedestrians and cyclists, so it’s always easy to discover another side of the Donauinsel.

In Austria and especially in Vienna, we have the best water quality in the world. You’ll therefore regularly come across to water fountains, where you can renew your energy supplies and refill your water bottles.

Waterski Lift

Waterski Lift

Here, everyone who has ever wanted to try waterskiing can get their money’s worth. For € 17, you could be pulled along for an entire hour and experience wakeboarding for yourself. You can also check out the stunts that can be performed.

Nackerbatzldorf Lobau

In this “village,” roughly 60 meters in length, “villagers” wearing nothing but their birthday suits enjoy a natural tanning salon – the sun. Here, the nudist area begins, so there’s no need to wonder that there are no clothing regulations. From there, you’ll reach the end of Lobau, which is part of the Danube’s floodplain. At the end, you can already see the tower of the Vienna International Airport.

Airport Tower

Along the way back, you’ll have the opportunity after starting on the Reichsbrücke bridge to treat yourself to a snack at one of the restaurants or bars. Here, you’ll also be right in the middle of the events of the Donauinselfest (“Danube Island Festival”).

If you then wish to continue your journey by bike in this direction, you’ll arrive at the Einlaufbauwerk (intake works) Langenzersdorf. This is the first of the three weir plants that separates the Danube from the New Danube.

If you happen to be at the end of your rope, you can ride back along the other side; or, if you’re still in good shape, you can expand your trip all the way to Greifenstein. This is where ships are locked, and if you’re lucky, you can watch as a ship goes through here.

Greifenstein

Along this route, you get the opportunity to discover nature and a recreation area while being athletically active, and you don’t need to have any fear of cars, which is a definite advantage for cyclists.

What or where are your favorite cycling routes in or outside of Vienna? Which places do you like? We’d be happy to hear about your excursions and experiences.

About Stefan Pfanner

Your author for the Schick Hotels & Restaurants in Wien
In Schick Insights, the authors write as insiders of the Schick Hotels and as genuine experts on Vienna. Each author sees the beautiful city of Vienna with different eyes. All of them incorporate their experiences and daily impressions from everyday hotel life and report on their highly personal insights from Vienna.
Stefan M. Pfanner works as a receptionist at the Hotel City Central. He successfully completed his traineeship as a hotel and restaurant industry assistant at the Schick Hotels back in 1999. He has worked at the reception of the Hotel City Central for the past 7 years, where he is highly dedicated to providing guests with advice and support.